Development

5:00 am

Thu May 29, 2014

After a slow start, the state of Washington says it’s on track to fill the former headquarters of Amazon.com with tenants. But long-term costs remain a concern.

Since Amazon moved out, Pacific Tower on Seattle’s Beacon Hill has sat empty. But by August of next year, the state expects the former hospital building to once again be full. The anchor tenant will be Seattle Central Community College’s healthcare training program. That lease is signed. Other prospective tenants include several nonprofits.

Dan McConnon, deputy director of the Washington Department of Commerce, says there’s actually a waiting list for the building.

“It was much easier to fill it than we anticipated,” he said.

McConnon says rent will cover costs initially, but not in the long term. After the first 10 years of the 30-year lease, his agency will have to ask the legislature for more funding. Or, “Rents would have to go up significantly," he said.

Speaker of the House Frank Chopp was the key champion of the state taking over Pacific Tower. He and several Democratic state lawmakers plan to consolidate their district offices into Pacific Tower.